Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Homosexuality and Illegal Drug Use

2010-05-01T19:35:00Z

Legionofanonymous:

In respect to '''homosexuality and illegal drug use''', the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported in 2007 that the frequency of [[methamphetamine]] use is twenty times greater among homosexuals than in the general population.<ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/methuse.html ''More Gay Men Using Meth, Study Finds,''] by R. Rosenblatt, Los Angeles Times, April 11, p. B6.</ref>

In January of 2007, the journal [[AIDS (London, England)]] in an article entitled ''Use of illicit drugs among gay men living with HIV in Sydney'' stated the following: "Higher rates of illicit drug use have been reported among gay men than among similar populations of heterosexual men..."<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17159587&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus AIDS (London, England), 2007 Jan;21 Suppl 1:S49-55]</ref>

[[Image:Powder meth foil small.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Methamphetamine]]: use is said to be twenty times greater among homosexuals.]]
In June of 2004, the journal ''[[Nursing Clinics of North America]]'' reported the following regarding [[homosexuality]] and illegal drug use:
{{Homosexuality and health}}
{{Cquote|...the increased use of recreational or party drugs such as [[ecstasy]], "poppers", and [[methamphetamine]] ("crystal meth") influence unsafe sexual behaviors in gay men. Many of these illicit drugs are used during "circuit parties," in which gay men from various geographical locales congregate in one large metropolitan community over an extended 2- or 3-day period for the purposes of intense partying and sexual activity.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15159188 Nursing Clinics of North America North Am. 2004 Jun;39(2):403]</ref>}}

In June of 2001, the ''[[American Journal of Public Health]]'' reported the following in regards to homosexuality and illegal drug use:
{{Cquote|...Nearly all participants stated that strong motivations for having attended circuit parties in the previous year were “to listen to music and dance” and “to be with friends”...“To get high on drugs” was a strong motivation for most participants...

Sexual activity, including unprotected anal sex, was relatively common during circuit party weekends...

Consider the potential impact of circuit party weekends on HIV infection rates and rates of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases, based on sexual mixing opportunities and patterns both within and beyond the 3-day periods. Our data pertain to a single circuit party weekend for each participant. If we multiply the prevalence of sexual risk behavior by the median of 3 parties per year revealed in this sample, and if we consider the large number of men who attend circuit parties, as well as the growing popularity of such parties, then the likelihood of transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among party attendees and secondary partners becomes a real public health concern.<ref>
[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1446474 American Journal of Public Health, June 2001, Vol. 91, No. 6, pages 956-957]</ref>}}

By some accounts, up to one hundred percent of inner city drug dealers are practicing homosexuals.

==See also==
*[[Homosexuality]]
*[[Homosexuality and Health]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Illegal substances]]
[[Category:Illegal Drugs]]

Apple Inc.

2010-05-01T19:31:39Z

Legionofanonymous: /* Politics */

[[Image:Apple-logo.png|right|thumb|150px|Apple Inc. logo]]
'''Apple Inc.''' is a liberal <ref>http://www.osnews.com/story/20432/Google_Apple_Openly_Support_Fight_Against_Proposition_8_</ref> corporation based out of Cupertino, California, that deals primarily in computer hardware, software, and their line of [[MP3]] players, [[iPod]]s. Founded on April 1st, 1976, by [[Steve Wozniak]] and [[Steve Jobs]], its first product was the Apple I. The two Steves founded the company in their garage, which has since became one of the biggest tech companies in America. On January 9th, 2007, Apple Computer Inc. officially changed its name to Apple Inc to include their other non computer products. That same day, they announced the revolutionary [[iPhone]], which according to Apple, combines "a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching."<ref>http://www.apple.com/iphone/</ref>

==Politics==
Apple supported the [[human rights]] agenda by donating $100,000. to defeat [[Prop 8]] <ref>http://www.osnews.com/story/20432/Google_Apple_Openly_Support_Fight_Against_Proposition_8_</ref> and named its operating system [[Darwin]].<ref>http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/</ref>
[[Al Gore]] was appointed to Apple's Board of Directors in 2003.<ref>http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/mar/19gore.html</ref>

==Original computers==
===The Apple I===
The Apple I was the first apple computer. The Apple I started out with just being a circuit sold to computer hobbyists. Later Apple realized that they could make more money by selling the Apple I all developed and put together instead of having the consumer build it themselves.
=== The [[Apple II]] ===

In 1977, however, Apple released the [[Apple II]], which was one of the first computers that came completely contained within a plastic case, motioning towards ''user-friendliness''. The main difference, however, was the screen display. Instead of just being able to display text, it would display graphics, charts, and eventually, color. Many small companies were buying these for use in their offices, but Steve Jobs had ambitions to expand.

=== The Apple III ===

The Apple III was created in response to Steve Jobs' wanting to move ahead with new innovations. He wanted to innovate, and as such, provided some questionable designs to the employees, such as it being shipped without a cooling fan, because Steve Jobs felt that having a loud obnoxious fan would interfere with his meditation. This particular defect caused the computer to break down, usually before it had reached its destination. Thousands were recalled.

===The Lisa===
The Lisa was named after Steve Jobs' daughter Lisa. The company had contests to come up for a computer acronym using the letters LISA. The Lisa was a failure because it was more expensive and not as powerful as the Macintosh.

=== The [[Macintosh]] ===

In 1984, the next Apple computer was released. Apple paired with Adobe to create Adobe [[PageMaker]]. The Macintosh was famous for its "1984" [[Super Bowl]] advertisement. The name of the device was taken from Steve Job's favorite type of apples the McIntosh apples. Despite the difference in spelling the name was also used by McIntosh Labs who brought certain legal problems into play. <ref> iCon: Steve Jobs </ref> The Macintosh had three major flaws. First, it only had six applications. Secondly the Macintosh did not have an internal hard drive to save to, so users constantly had to do the "Floppy disk Olympics." Lastly, the device was not expandable.

=== The Apple IIgs ===

The Apple IIgs was a mix between the two, but its main feature was that it was mouse driven.

==John Scully==
[[John Scully]] was appointed CEO of Apple by Steve Jobs because they would not let him run the company. Jobs picked Scully because he knew nothing about computers and would need to depend on Jobs for all decisions. This backfired on Jobs when he was forced to leave the company leaving control into the hand of a man who knew nothing about computers. When Jobs left the company was sent into despair. There was no vision and Scully was barely able to keep the company alive.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Apple Inc.]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Companies]]

Video games

2010-05-01T19:22:04Z

Legionofanonymous:

'''Video games''' are addictive activities targeted at teenagers, young children, and even babies, sometimes with darwinian results.<ref>Some claim that 2/3rds of videogamers are over 18 years old, but far more people are over that age and a much higher percentage of minors are videogamers.[http://www.pan-o-matic.com/blog/?p=45 Only a third of videogamers are under 18]</ref> Games are increasingly violent and offensive, attracting the attention of legislators in many states to protect the exploitation of children by them. Games such as ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' are very violent, sexually explicit, and feature [[criminal]] behavior. These games are rated "M 17+" for "Mature," but courts have stricken down laws preventing retailers from selling them to children, under an interpretation that the First Amendment protects offensive video games even for children.<ref>http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/148962.html</ref> After a ''Conservapedian'' filed an [[amicus brief]] with the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] to consider this issue, it surprised [[liberal]]s by granting ''[[certiorari]]''.

Some people point out that violent video games cause violent behavior in some children. The effects of violent video games on the developing psyche of children and adolescents vary greatly and of course have much to do with the mental stability of the subject in question.
Serious crimes have often been associated with video games. For example, a 14-year-old brutally murdered a video arcade employee one morning and his cousin stands trial for murdering the store manager when he entered the store shortly thereafter.<ref>http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1212467732102240.xml&coll=1</ref>
In the [[United States|USA]], all retail games carry ratings from the [[ESRB]], a video game ratings organization.

== Various genres ==

Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and separated from one another. Genres can now include [[first person shooters]], [[racing]], [[Simulation game|simulation]], [[role-playing]], [[sports]], [[action]] and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as ''Mass Effect'' (Role Playing and Third Person Shooting), or not fit nicely into any genre, like ''Katamari Damacy''.

== Popularity & Controversy ==

Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.

===Violence===

Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violence in video games, as pioneered by ''[[Doom (video game series)|Doom]]'', ''[[Quake]]'', and the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series.

At least one study has shown that, contrary to the position mentioned above, kids who don't play video games at all seem to show more violent tendencies. Of course, as expected, those who played violent video games for large amounts of time also showed violent tendencies, however the study claims that this is a "risk marker", not an actual cause. <ref>http://wii.qj.net/New-research-reveals-kids-who-don-t-play-videogames-at-all-are-more-at-risk-of-violent-tendencies/pg/49/aid/118505 New research reveals kids who don't play video games at all are more at risk of violent tendencies</ref>

Multiple studies have shown a correlation between violent video games and levels of real life violence, caused by playing some of the aforementioned video games.<ref>http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html</ref>

===Sexuality===

Although nudity is not prominent in [[western]] video games, there are various products containing sexually-suggestive material. One reason for the relative lack of explicitly sexual material in western games may be the refusal of [[Wal-Mart]] (the leading distributor of video games in the United States) to sell games carrying an "Adults-Only" rating.<ref>http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=440903</ref> One notable target of controversy is the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series after a third-party mod was released that allowed the player to engage in a mini-game containing explicit sexual material. Mods are, as "third-party" would imply, fan-made and are not the responsibility of the game's developer. Other sources of this criticism relate to the game ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' as it was one of the first games where a female character (the protagonist) is depicted and advertised as a sex symbol.<ref>Ashley, Robert. "The Secret History of Videogame Sex." Official Playstation Magazine Feb. 2006: 96-99.</ref>

== Video Games & Society ==

As video games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the [[Halo (game)|Halo]] series, as well as [[Grand Theft Auto]]. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.

Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. [[Second Life]], an Internet-based virtual world, has blurred the lines between real-world and virtual world, and companies such as Adidas, Reebok, and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. [[Reuters]] also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.

== Faith in Video Games ==

Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre, such as ''Spiritual Warfare'' and ''Bible Adventure'' for the Nintendo, or ''The Bible Game'' for various systems. ''Bible Adventure'' in particular is infamous for it's poor design and playability.

The Bible, or other such religious texts, tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. Turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences.

Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The 'Breath of Fire'' series and the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' games, in particular, use a god as a main antagonist in many of its incarnations. Other games to use religion in some way include the ''Final Fantasy'' series, ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]'', ''Black and White'', ''Heaven and Hell'', ''Xenogears'', ''Okami'', and the ''Tales'' series, particularly ''Tales of Symphonia''. Unfortunately, many (not all) of the aforementioned games present religion (or it's respective church and followers) as evil, fake, or having ulterior and nefarious motives. Virtually no video games present faith in an honest or positive manner, as few conservatives or Christians work for game companies, then again direct content.

Games may include a fictional religion as part of the setting if the use of a real religion may invite undesirable controversy.

Video game reviewers have sometimes unjustly attacked and reviewed games where real-world religion plays a notable role. One of the most prominent examples of this is the game ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]''.<ref>http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/left_behind</ref>

==See Also==
*[[Video game controversy]]
*[[Jack Thompson]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.whattheyplay.com/ What They Play - the parent's guide to video games]

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Video Games]]
[[Category:Computers]]